Hasta La Gadget!

See this happy couple? They’re smiling because they’re in love, they’re at a waterpark, and they haven’t contracted E. coli yet. They could also be chuckling with the knowledge that all 700 of their closest Facebook friends will soon see them canoodling in an artificial lagoon, thanks to a strange new photo-sharing program from Great Wolf Resorts. From now on, visitors to Great Wolf’s Grand Mound lodge will be able to automatically post their vacation pics on Facebook, using only an RFID-equipped wristband. All they have to do is register their accounts at check-in, slap on their bands and head over to any of five kiosks stationed throughout the resort, where they can pose for pictures that will be instantly uploaded to their walls (along with captions). Immediately de-tagging yourself, however, remains a uniquely manual task. Wade past the break for the full PR.

Continue reading RFID tags let you share waterpark photos on Facebook without leaving the lazy river

RFID tags let you share waterpark photos on Facebook without leaving the lazy river originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 29 Jun 2011 09:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

It’s hard to argue with Google’s track record. The company has scored a hit in nearly every space in which it’s dabbled: search, email, ads, office software, etc. There’s always been one glaring exception to this rule, however: social networking. The company hasn’t made much of a dent in a world dominated by Facebook (and, once upon a time, MySpace and Friendster). For Google+, however, the company dove in with both feet, launching a multi-faceted service that brings a lot to the table with features like Circles, Hang Out, and Huddle. Is it enough to end Google’s streak of misteps in the social world? Join us as we take a dive deeper into Google’s latest attempt to find out.

Continue reading Google+ invite received, we go hands-on

Google+ invite received, we go hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 28 Jun 2011 20:06:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

Social networking has long been Google’s white whale. The company has done plenty of dabbling in the space, releasing Orkut, which has failed to catch on in the US, and rolling out Buzz to the relative indifference of its massive user base. Announced today after seemingly endless leaks, Google+ represents a major push for the software giant. The service began showing itself to a smattering of users last night, as a black bar across the top of various of the company’s properties. A “+You” button on the far left of the bar currently brings you to the service’s landing page, offering a tour of the many features that fall under the Google+ umbrella. Get to know the services better after the break.

Continue reading Google launches all out social networking assault with Google+ (video)

Google launches all out social networking assault with Google+ (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 28 Jun 2011 14:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Google Blog  |  Google+  | Email this | Comments

Making friends is hard. Apple knows this. In fact, the company outlined such difficulty in a newly surfaced patent, highlighting the sort of “long and awkward conversation” sometimes required to discover common interests. The patent application, filed back in late-2009, describes a location-based social network that helps users discover people in their vicinity, based on common interests like books, movies, and, naturally, music. Of course, Cupertino already dipped its toes in the social networking waters with the iTunes-based Ping, which, in spite of initial excitement, failed to really capture the imagination of Apple’s dedicated base. And this isn’t the first time the company has flirted with the idea of location-based social networking either, as a patent that surfaced halfway through last year can attest. The company has clearly learned its lesson with this one, however, and that lesson is: more drawings of women winking and references to Springsteen songs in the application process.

Apple patent application highlights location-based social networking, encourages intimate pinging originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 16 Jun 2011 11:42:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Mac Rumors  |  USPTO  | Email this | Comments

Ah, Iceland — home to the Blue Lagoon, Sigur Rós and, most recently, crowdsourced constitutionalism. With its economy still reeling from the 2009 financial crisis, the country has begun hammering away at a brand new constitution, and is asking its online citizenry for help. The draft is being prepared by a democratically elected, 25-member council, but any Icelanders with an internet connection can add their own suggestions, engage in online debates, or follow the proceedings in real-time on Facebook. All suggestions are moderated to weed out the really dumb ones (“FEWER VOLCANOES”), and those approved by the board will be directly added to the draft, due to be completed at the end of this month. It’s a fascinating social experiment, but one that could probably only happen in a place where nearly 90 percent of all households have a broadband connection, two-thirds of the entire population is on Facebook — meaning their politicians are always within poke’s reach.

In Iceland, constitutions are written on Facebook originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 14 Jun 2011 10:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  AP / Yahoo  | Email this | Comments